While not quite as impressive as the Xbox 360's or the PlayStation 3's 1080p capabilities, we now know for a fact that Nintendo's upcoming Wii console will be able to output to 480p, and that Nintendo will component cables for the Wii for $29.99 (separate from the console, which will ship with composite cables). There're two catches; the Gamecube's component cables will not work and you can only obtain the Wii component cables via an online retailer (such as Nintendo's store, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.). So if you want 480p, be prepared to pony up an extra $30 for the resolution bump.

If the wimpy 20 GB hard drive that comes with your Xbox 360 simply doesn't cut it for you (let's face it, everyone uses their consoles for all things media these days), you might want to look into the hard drive expansion that should be coming our way soon. Under this expansion, users would be able to up their 20 GB hard drive to 100 GB, effectively upping the potential for some serious media storage. What we don't know are the really important details; namely, when we'll see this expansion and how much it'll cost to up the storage. Stay tuned, we'll be reporting more on this as details become known.

In what probably shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, Microsoft has confirmed that yes, the Xbox 360's successor is already being worked on. According to Microsoft EMEA (European, Middle East, and Africa) vice president Chris Lewis:

"The consumer won't let you [rest on your laurels], the developers certainly won't let us. So that's happening right now. You'll see more [on a new Xbox] over time...certainly we're not talking about the next version yet. So give us a chance to catch a breath, will you?"

Guys, please take your time; we haven't yet finished this round of "console X is better than console Y," and I think I need at least three years before I'm prepared to go through the "next-generation console holy wars" again.

When one looks at the PlayStation 3, it becomes very difficult to justify the machine's price if you look at it as a gaming machine. But if you look at it as a cheap computer, things become a little easier to comprehend. If you get the urge to grab a PS3 for use as a computer as well as a console, AND you happen to like Linux, you're in luck. Yellow Dog Linux 5.0, the latest version of the popular PowerPC-based distribution, has announced the availability of a PS3 edition of their distribution, just in time to see the first 500,000 users receive their consoles.

Our local web guru and executive editor, Ewdison Then, has started a poll as to which next-generation console Slashgear readers plan on buying this holiday season. In a decisive victory, Nintendo's upcoming Wii has taken a sizable lead over its competitors, with 382 votes. Sony's PlayStation 3, due out two days before Wii, is running second right now with 190 votes, while the year-old Xbox 360 console is in third place with 77 votes. If you haven't voted yet, head on over to the poll and vote now! If you have voted, comment as to why you decided to vote the way you did.

In typical console pre-release fashion, those lucky enough to have obtained a PlayStation 3 preorder have decided to give others the opportunity to own the new console early...for a ridiculously marked-up price on eBay. However, in atypical fashion, eBay has begun removing such auctions almost immediately after they've been posted, requiring sellers to meet a very strict set of criteria in order to be allowed to sell their preorders on the site. To see what you have to do to be allowed to sell PS3 preorders on eBay, hit the jump!

November is shaping up to be a very, very busy month for consumers. Not only are we looking at Sony's PlayStation 3 console coming out at almost the same time as Nintendo's Wii, but Intel plans to release the first-ever quad-core processors. HP will be the first vendor to include the chips in their workstations come November 13, but consumers will have to wait until next year for the Core 2-branded quads to hit shelves. So, unless you're willing to pony up a pretty penny, you'll have to wait a bit to make the super-awesome Quake server/music station/media center machine you always wanted.

Alright, so it's not quite the Wiimote that everyone was expecting, but hey, it's close enough for now. As a special bonus to Platinum members of Club Nintendo (only in Japan), Nintendo has provided a Wiimote-like remote designed to be used with televisions. So, on the downside, it's not a real controller. But on the upside, if you're lucky enough to get one, both your TV and Wii can be controlled by a similar-looking device.

Talk about confusion! As we reported a few days ago, the Wii experiences a few, er, issues when the sensor bar is exposed to direct sunlight. Nintendo didn't take long to respond, but much like the Wii region-free issue, there seems to be some internal debate as to whether or not there really is a sunlight issue. As a result, buyers are left in a bit of a lurch as far as whether or not there a sunlight/sensor bar issue really exists.

Time to gear up and head out to your local GameStop or EB Games store if you want your very own Nintendo Wii console, as starting today, both stores will be accepting preorders for Nintendo's latest game box. Given that Wiis are promising to be far more plentiful come launch day than Sony's PS3s, this shouldn't be a mad rush to get one of only 16 preorder slots; in fact, one could even argue that a preorder is a bit unnecessary. Still, they'll be there tomorrow; for more details, hit the jump!